Windows Phone 7.5 Mango now available

Hi folks,

Last night Microsoft released the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update (7720). The update brings over 500 new features to your Windows Phone 7 including LinkedIn and Twitter integration, Facebook- and MSN-chat, improved IE9 browser, contact grouping,… further information about the new features of Windows Phone 7.5 can be found here.


Nearly all providers worldwide have started to deploy the Windows Phone 7.5 update (see complete list). The only exception in Germany being the Deutsche Telekom for the Samsung Omnia 7 device. However, there is a workaround for Samsung Omnia 7 devices from Deutsche Telekom:

1. Connect your Omnia 7 to Zune
2. Click Phone->Settings->Update (Jetzt aktualisieren) in Zune
3. Immediately disconnect your PC from the internet (e.g. disconnect LAN cable/WLAN, disconnect router, etc,..) This has to be done BEFORE the notification that no update is available is displayed!
4. A notification is displayed that there is indeed an update available to version 7720
5. Reconnect your PC to the internet to download and install this update.

I will update my HTC HD7 tonight!

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Error: Failed reading e32 structure in module…

Hi folks,

when working with Windows Embedded Compact you should be used to non-descriptive error messages like the following:

Error: Failed reading e32 structure in module <module_name>
Fatal error hit, exiting…
makeimg: FATAL ERROR: Command returned non-zero exit code 1 (dec).
makeimg: FATAL ERROR: Command returned non-zero exit code 1 (dec).

We immediately know this error occurred in the make image phase of the build process, so there must be something wrong with one of our configuration files.

The solution is rather simple:
We placed a file (namely <module_name>) that is NOT an *.exe or a *.dll in the MODULES section of a *.bib file.

We therefore simply need to move that <module_name>file to the FILES section of the *.bib and re-run make image.

Et voilà another mystic error message deciphered!

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Windows Embedded Compact 7: Updates available

Hi folks,

there are some updates available for Windows Embedded Compact 7:

Visual Studio 2008 update for Windows Embedded Compact 7:
When debugging Windows Embedded Compact 7 applications using the Visual Studio 2008 for Smart Devices debugger, a user might not be able to use the single step function. This update addresses this issue.

Windows Embedded Compact 7 – RDP RemoteFX Update:
RemoteFX enables high performance with hardware assist to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 7.1 clients connected to VDI hosts within a Thin Client environment.

Windows Embedded Compact 7 Monthly Update July 2011:
Fixes made in this update:

Component: HTTP
110731_KB2568877 - This update addresses possible delay when opening an ASP page from a webserver.

Remember: It’s important to keep your system up to date!

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„Test TCP“ for Windows Embedded Compact

Hi folks,

Fellow MVP Henrik Viklund ported the TCP and UDP performance test tool “Test TCP” for Windows Embedded Compact 7.

It is based on the latest PC version (PCATTCP v.2.0.1.01.14) and is available on CodePlex.

Thanks a lot Henrik, keep up the good work!

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„Windows Phone für Symbian-Entwickler“ - kostenlose TechTalk Reihe

Hallo zusammen,

vom 04. bis zum 10. Oktober findet in Karlsruhe, Hamburg, Berlin, München sowie Köln die kostenlose TechTalk Reihe „Windows Phone (WP) für Symbian-Entwickler“ statt. MSDN Deutschland informiert hier gemeinsam mit Nokia über die Anwendungsentwicklung unter Windows Phone.

Also gleich anmelden!

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Windows 8 Developer Preview

Hi folks,

last week Microsoft launched the Windows 8 Developer Preview at the BUILD Conference in Anaheim, CA.


The first thing that you will notice is the new so called “Metro Style” UI with its “Live Tiles”. This UI should look somewhat familiar to you if you use a Windows Phone 7. Windows 8 still provides the “old” desktop as well.

As an embedded developer I am particularly interested in Windows 8’s ARM SoC (System-On-Chip) support. So far Windows 8 runs on ARM based SoCs from NVIDIA, Qualcomm as well as Texas Instruments. As of now those SoCs supporting Windows 8 consist of a CPU and a GPU only. So far the only ARM based devices that Windows 8 was shown on are Tablet PCs. I am really eager to see how (and if) Windows 8 will be brought into the embedded world…

Windows 8 also comes with a new framework to develop “Metro Style Apps”, called Windows Runtime (WinRT). The classical application development frameworks like Win32, .NET Framework, Silverlight and HTML5 are still available.


Unlike any of the classical application development frameworks, the new WinRT allows you to develop your “Metro Style App” in any language you prefer, based on the same framework (namly WinRT), allowing a better interaction between “Metro Style Apps”.

So go ahead: download and play around with the Windows 8 Developer preview!

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Windows Embedded Compact QFEs for August 2011 have arrived!

Hi all,

The August updates for Windows Embedded Compact are available for download:

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Monthly Update August 2011:

Fixes made in this update:

Component: Drivers
· 110816_KB2562821 - PCI Bus Enumerator may not properly adjust resources of existing PCI devices when a new PCI device is added to the system.
Component: Filesys
· 110816_KB2587327 - This update addresses an error that may occur during startup when file system advertises a new interface.
Component: FSD
· 110803_KB2575787 - This update addresses an issue with Cachefilt.
Component: RNDIS
· 110803_KB2579278 - This update enables RNDIS to recognize Interface Class (0xE0 0x01 0x03) as defined by USB.org.
Component: SChannel
· 110822_KB2592395 - Internet Explorer may not be able to connect to Windows Embedded CE 6.0 web server. The handshake may not be handled correctly for some messages.
Component: WININET
· 110819_KB2588509 - This update addresses an issue when retrieving Cookies that have "Path" parameter specified.

Remember: it’s important to keep your system up to date!

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Default\Default\What?

Loading USB and HID drivers depends on Registry keys.
The USB driver tries to find the best fitting driver for an attached device.
Typical Registry keys are
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\USB\LoadClients\Default\Default\3\Hid_Class]
"DLL"="USBHID.DLL"
and
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\HID\LoadClients\Default\Default\1_2\Mouse]
"DLL"="MOUHID.DLL"

But what exactly is coded with "Default\Default\3"?
You may guess, it is somehow related to the vendor and the type of the device.

The easy part is to google/bing (can Bing be used as a verb?) the USB Class Codes at USB.org
http://www.usb.org/developers/defined_class
In this example "3" stands for the Interface "HID (Human Interface Device)"
and "1_2" stands for HID Mouse,
see http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/HID1_11.pdf

The Microsoft online help hides the syntax anywhere in the middle of this article:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee484468.aspx
In my own words it stats:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\USB\LoadClients\\\\]
where
Group1_ID = Default|DeviceVendorID[_DeviceProductID[_DeviceReleaseNumber]]
Group2_ID = Default|DeviceClassCode[_DeviceSubclassCode[_DeviceProtocolCode]]
Group3_ID = Default|InterfaceClassCode[_InterfaceSubclassCode[_InterfaceProtocolCode]]

The following two pieces of the puzzle are missing:
* The syntax is similar for HID devices.
* All numbers are DECIMAL! This includes VendorIDs and DeviceIDs!

Example:
VendorID: 0x045e=1118 Microsoft Corp.
DeviceID: 0x0040=64 Wheel Mouse Optical

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\HID\LoadClients\1118_64\Default\1_2\WheelMouse]
"DLL"="WheelMouse.DLL"

Contrary to this example you should write a general-purpose and Vendor-INdependent driver.

Tschüß Holger
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CNN interviews Steve Ballmer about the Imagine Cup 2011

Hi Folks,

on July 8th, CNN interviewed Steve Ballmer about the Imagine Cup 2011 finals taking place in New York at the time. The video (appoximately 5 minutes) features, among others, the Harmonicare team from Tsinghua University, China, that went on to take 2nd place in the Embedded Development category:



Congratulations again to all Imagine Cup 2011 finalists!

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